Production Update with Russ Bullock Aug 18th!

    2:30 New Tech balance incoming Sep patch
    4:30 Downer: mech inverse kinematics (IK) not on development path
    7:30 Sep patch - Special event system: move from web site to into the game client
    18:15 Maps: new map Nov patch, mid-sized, moon theme; next map - "full blown city map", early version show at Mech_Con, aiming for Jan/Feb patch
    26:30 Quick Play 8v8? Maybe only in group queue? Will survey community. No implementation date.
    33:15 Solaris - new mode within MWO client. 1v1 and 2v2 only. Unique maps (two more made, playable at Mech_Con). Run using seasons. Will have 7 divisions based on mech variants, pilots can play in each division. Public spectator mode. 1Q18?
    58:30 Bolt on system - custom geometry. One shot destroyed, does not change hit box. Not just in Solaris, but some only available from Solaris (but usable elsewhere).
    1:04:30 Update to loot crates. Will use Overwatch's system (many objects within each loot crate). Some crates unique to Solaris.
    1:10:45 Mech hanger first person view.

    1:18:15 Questions - Solaris betting (Hard with gambling laws). Special events to specific mechs (maybe). If Solaris mech tiered, why exclude MC mechs (still looking into). Solaris free-for-all mode (not planned). Pilot/hanger customization (not planned). Solaris melee (no).
    1:31:30 Mech_Con. Playable MW5, Solaris first looks and new maps, Q&As, WC finals, Catalyst games, HBS.



    Zusammenfassung entnommen aus Youtube

    da41fd1d53757be48b3d1599c254f1d4.png


    Walter: “One wrong note eventually ruins the entire symphony.”

    Ich habe das gefunden:



    View PostSereglach, on 18 August 2017 - 06:48 PM, said:

    Just taking some loose notes as it goes here. I'm trying to keep this as plain an unbiased as possible:



    - Not intent on taking questions from audience, unless time conveniently permits (not likely with such a "full episode"). Russ said they'll be doing some "Town Hall type meetings" in the future, but for a lot of these things he just wants to update the community on what PGI has been working on. Claims to have a huge pile of stuff to talk about.



    - While they didn't talk about it much, it's been stated that large quantities of balance stuff will be coming next month now that the new technology has settled in. (Personally disappointed they didn't talk about it any or address the Flamer questions I posed.)



    - First downer: IK -Inverse Kinematics- is dead until further notice. Implementing it in MWO will currently cause massive hitreg issues in the legs and until they have time to address those issues it's not going to happen.



    - New "EVENT SYSTEM": Pretty much everything from the events that is currently online is going to shift into the client. Supposedly there'll be "no limits" to what they can do for requirements or rewards and supposedly Faction Warfare will benefit the most. It will purportedly eventually support any type of IS vs IS, Clan vs Clan, or smaller and specific IS vs Clan conflicts, as well as any of the current stuff done. This includes everything from "daily events/objectives" like other games have, weekend events, recreating the big month-long events we've recently had, etc.. Many things that they couldn't be done before can now be done and be automated (thusly achieved faster).



    Everything will be tracked within the in-game UI and "instantly update" (doubly confirmed by Russ via question as the website needs to pull from the database while the client constantly talks to the database). Currently slated for the first "smaller subset of functionality" to be released in September with "ever expanding support and infinite growth" for what is stated to be a "strong system". According to Russ it'll take several months to get up to speed and build in complexity, capabilities, and what they can do. Russ stated that everything they've talked about in this "Production Update" should be available with the update in September.



    - NEW MAPS: First new map slated to release in November. Stated that a new map for November needs to be 100% perfect by mid October. First map for release is currently called "Crater" with a Tourmaline type feel in aesthetics, but not much else talked about. It's layout is a mix of Tourmaline desert and HPG type feel. It's a "mid-sized map" that's smaller than Polar Highlands but bigger than Canyon Network. They're trying to take the maps that people vote for the most and take the aspects people enjoy the most for creating new maps.



    Second map is in advanced "Grey Box" phase is a . . . get this . . . FULL BLOWN CITY MAP!!! It is slated as a dense urban map with only a few small "parks" to break it up. It's considered a technical challenge, but Russ gave the direction that he demanded a "full blown city, period" with high-rises, skyscrapers, etc.. It will be seen at Mech Con, but might be playable . . . big MAYBE.



    Quick anecdote that was mentioned was that there's more work on 1v1 and Solaris style maps. More to be talked about later . . .



    - 8v8 Quick Play: They've been assessing the feelings of the community, and they're looking at changing QUICK PLAY ONLY back to 8v8 (like it was back in the day for people who've been around a few years). Matches up well with comp play, will have positive impacts on matchmaker and queues. Oceanic and other regions/playtimes will benefit greatly, as well. Creates a solid gameplay dynamic of 4v4 scouting, 8v8 quick play/competitive, and 12v12 faction play in PGI's mind. Should also push larger groups to play in Faction Play as well, and focus the quick play group queue on smaller groups. However, this change is not absolute, and they're encouraging debate and discussion on the forums. They release this is a potentially polarizing and controversial change and want to see the discussions and debates over the potential change. However, making the change is quick and reasonably easy, so whether they flip the switch or not the work isn't going to be done until the decision is made.



    - Solaris: PGI is going to be bringing Solaris to MWO. It will be a "legitimate full featured game mode in MWO that will be equal to if not bigger than Faction Play". Russ emphasizes that it should feel bigger than Faction Play as a fleshed out feature. It is designed to be 1v1 and 2v2 match sizes. It will have all of its own unique small maps created specifically for the small match sizes.



    It will play out in seasons. Players come in and take on a "Patron" with whom they'll fight under. They'll move through tiers of divisions as they play out matches. Requirements for mechs should match comp play, but you can play ANY available mech you want in a match (not weight limited or matched).



    Mechs will also be categorized into 7 divisions based on the variants themselves. As an example a "Division 1" mech variant will be the top tier variants of mechs for sheer min-max performance. The mech you play will control what division you play in; and the mechs within that division won't necessarily be based purely on tonnage. As a note that was talked about later, the divisions that mechs are put into might eventually be used for standard quick play matchmaking instead of just looking at tonnage . . . therefore matches won't just be "5 assaults vs. 5 assaults", but "5 Division 1 mechs vs. 5 Division 1 mechs". Once the divisions are worked out then they'll start looking into making it happen. Doing such an overhaul, and even creating the divisions, will be a herculean task that will need a large committee (potentially including a variety of player reps) to create the divisions over much debate.



    Players, as they increase in fame, will gain patron reputation and fame, which in turn improves their contractual rewards. In addition, they'll need to gain sponsors. All of these things will work in conjunction to control your rewards. Higher performance = higher rewards.



    Matchmaking will be done via "leaderboard" ELO. You also won't need to register teams or anything like that. Group with who you want and drop. The Matchmaker will then sort you by ELO and the division of your mech. ELO adjustments for win/loss will be based on the highest ELO player in the match.



    There will be a public spectator mode for the Solaris matches. 30-40 spectators "should" be able to spectate each match. It will, however, have limitations, which remained unspecified. There will NOT be any sort of instant replay feature, as well.



    - Maps take 2 . . . Solaris maps: There will be the Boreal Reach map, the Jungle map, and the Steiner Coliseum minimum at release. The maps will be faction based, and they want to get around to making all of the official 5 Solaris faction coliseums. However, a minimum of 3 should make launch (the 3 previously mentioned). They may get around to making even more maps, but that's not for discussion right now and needs to wait for the future.



    - Solaris Release:Solaris will be seen for the first time at Mech Con, and release will be happening some time thereafter. It should be the first half of 2018 . . . preferably March/April timeframe . . . aiming for March, but no guarantees.



    - George Ledoux Question: Russ is entirely open to having George Ledoux aka Duncan Fischer do voice work for the Solaris Game Mode. It's been brought up in design meetings and they'd like to get it to work out, but there's nothing set in stone.



    - Custom Geometry System: Not just for Solaris, but Russ said they're aiming to have a new system of "bolt-on" custom geometry. For Example: the Centurion could get some kind of cosmetic geometry that would alter the shape or add-on to its shield. These changes would be purely aesthetic, and wouldn't affect the hit boxes, but they're looking at all sorts of things like horns, spikes, crests, and other "badass" add-ons to attach to the mechs. This system would build upon the technology of the decal system for implementation. Again, it's not just for Solaris, but would allow people to customize their mechs for any game mode. Some will be bought for MC, but some will only be available to be acquired via playing in Solaris.



    The previous custom geometry of special mechs like the (I)Invasion variants is fixed to those mechs, and won't change. However, they might (obscenely big MAYBE) allow things like, "you own the (I) variant of this mech, so you can now apply that look to your other variants".



    - Loot Crate Revamp: It's going to be completely revamped. Too much like a "Counterstrike" and completely randomized system. It's going to go to more of an "Overwatch" style system where when you get a crate, you get everything in the crate. The contents of the crates will be completely overhauled to take this into account; and Solaris will have some of its own specific crates. You may also be able to just buy crates outright, like the "Overwatch" system.



    - Mech Nicknames: Instead of just the mech variant name showing up on the UI, Solaris might bring about the ability to see your assigned nickname in the match when people target you. However, these would also be subject to word filters and obscenity checks . . . so you might want to change your nicknames before Solaris comes out, if needed.



    - Mech Hangar Changes: The mech hangar is going to get some overhauls. At the very least, there's going to be the ability to drop down as a walking person and look at your mech from ground level; and the hangar needs to be changed to accommodate this. There should hopefully be more functionality that comes in the future (like potentially decorating the hangar), but the only thing Russ is committing to at the start is being able to walk around the hangar and look at your mechs. Other theoretical options could include seeing cockpit items hanging on shelves, connecting to friend's hangars and looking at their stuff (not in multiplayer setting, but just looking at their mechs and stuff).



    - Future Releases: A lot of resources will be going into the upcoming features, but PGI has been paying close attention to things like the community created "Public Issues Tracker". This will be bringing about a large quantity of polish and bug fixes for future releases. Russ has a Roadmap that's going to be released to the forums after this discussion is over with. Might be the same night, but certainly the next day.



    - 5 min of Q&A: Q1 - Betting in Solaris: not likely to happen, as much as Russ would love it. C-bills can be bought with cash, so even just betting with c-bills turns into a . . . quoting Russ . . . "legal sh*tstorm".



    Q2 - Faction Specific mechs: Events could be done revolving around specific faction based mechs. While they wouldn't deny playing any mechs, they could make it so that you get extra rewards by playing a faction favored mech during the event. They would like to provide incentives to for using faction appropriate mechs in faction based events.



    Q3 - Denying MC only Mechs in Solaris: They may or may not need to be denied in Solaris divisions, since all mechs will be assigned to divisions based on min-max potential performance. Currently PGI is erring on the side of caution by not allowing them, but solid argument has been made to allow any mech in Solaris. Besides, it would remove mechs like the Yen Lo Wang from Solaris, and that seems "stupid" to quote Russ.



    Q4 - Solaris FFA Mode: Not slated to happen any time soon, if ever. It's a technical hurdle that PGI would need to overcome to make happen. Ultimately they brought up a 4vFFA mode, and the engineers said it could be possible but it's a HUGE undertaking. Everything within the game has been programmed for 2 teams, and the game just doesn't comprehend the concept of no teams. HOWEVER, post Solaris release, it could theoretically could be done. Of course, if it happens in Solaris, then an FFA mode theoretically also could make its way into Quick Play modes.



    Q5 - Pilot Customization: It's certainly possible, but at this time Russ has zero intentions of dedicating the resources to make it happen. He's aiming for more "game changing" content to commit resources towards right now. However, that's not saying it couldn't happen in the future. Russ would love to see pilot customizations, hangar customizations, etc. but it'd take time and resources.



    Q6 - Melee: Would love to, but it's an obscene undertaking. Hit reg issues, animation issues, aesthetics, and other factors cause problems. "Never say never" but it's not on the plate anytime soon.



    Q7 - Knockdowns: Still a big issue, but with improvements that have been made recently to collisions it could be made possible. It'd take more resources, but Russ -again- wants those resources dedicated to more game changing content right now.



    - Mech Con: Wrap-up talking about Mech Con venue. Much bigger and better by having a whole hotel basically dedicated to the event. It should feel more like a full fledged convention. They'll be showing off Solaris stuff, MW5 stuff, other announcements, the tournament, and other items. Catalyst is going to have a much bigger area this time around, and HBS is also going to have an area and hopefully a near-release grade playable product (of course that's Russ talking and not HBS).



    - MW5: Will be able to be played at Mech Con for the first time. However, PGI is fully committed to both MW5 and MWO. Russ is thrilled over the freedom of control and movement that's already coming together for the gameplay of MW5. He calls it his "dream MechWarrior Mercenaries experience". There will be a lot to talk about with it and show off at Mech Con.



    - Loyalty Rewards: To be announced in September, as they are every year. Keep your eyes open for that to be posted.

    Ich freue mich da auch schon drauf! Unser Einstufungstest bereitet ja auch etwas darauf vor ....


    Und dann scheint ja tatsächlich etwas an den alten Bildern dran zu sein. Die Ideen für die Karten haben die offensichtlich aus ca. 2014 oder früher, wenn es wirklich dieser Mondkrater werden soll.